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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The other night I was listening the the Phillies game while at the gym and on the treadmill. I was listening to a batter that had just struck out 4 times and quickly Tom McCarthy jumped at the chance to make Gary ‘Sarge’ Matthews look bad. McCarthy asked Sarge how many times did he strike out 4 times in a game. Gary said, “I don’t remember any times that I struck out 4 times in a game.” Undaunted, Tom McCarthy pressed on, he kept hounding Matthews about it, and suddenly he said, well now 20 people are looking it up in the press booth. A few minutes went by and then McCarthy crowed like a guy who was so happy to announce that Sarge had struck out 4 times in a game four different times! He went on and on about it, even continuing the conversation with Chris Wheeler. It’s not just those kind of comments that make me dislike McCarthy, it’s his overall approach to announcing games.

A friend of mine at work just this week told me how much he disliked McCarthy’s style when we were discussing the Phillies game that was played the night before. I suddenly found that I am not alone in noticing that McCarthy needs to go away. I wrote a column in this blog last year and it said essentially that McCarthy isn’t a guy that sounds like he’s on the same side as the Phillies.

There is a reason the Mets let him go after a short time with them after McCarthy left the Phillies a couple years ago when he was a radio guy who did the pregame and postgame shows. Baseball announcers usually stay with a team for years and years, and the Mets sending McCarthy packing sends a big signal. Your own home team’s fans want to hear someone who is sympathetic to a club who may be going through a rough time, not someone who sounds like he has glee in his voice. So many times it sounds like McCarthy is pulling for the other team, and it's ridiculous to be paid by the Phillies to sound like a turncoat.

Here’s another McCarthyism, the other night in Washington DC, a thunderstorm blew into the stadium area and actually caused the Phillies background banner in the television booth to blow out of control and wrap around Gary Matthews while he and McCarthy were on the air. Tom’s response, he started laughing at Sarge and couldn’t stop as the camera panned into the booth and caught the whole scene on tv. Sarge shot back at McCarthy, “You’re that kind of guy” in reference to him laughing at the whole situation. This isn’t the way a guy who’s on your broadcast booth is supposed to act. I don’t think Sarge is amused by the antics of McCarthy at all. Phillies fans respect Sarge and they don’t want someone trying to make him look foolish at a joke’s expense

I can’t stand to listen to McCarthy most of the time, if you’ve never noticed how strange he sounds sometimes, listen in a little closer and you’ll hear what a lot of fans already know…McCarthy should go.

Update: 2011 - Tom has turned his game around and really improved towards the end of last season in 2010. He's not all that bad to listen to, maybe he took some of the constructive criticism and improved upon it. He's not nearly as negative as he used to be...

49 comments:

Your blog hits the nail on the head. We can only hope that the Phillies organization listens to the fans regarding our dislike of Tom McCarthy as a broadcaster. I agree, send him packing. The sooner the better.

I think Tom is probably a decent person, and a good father,husband,son etc.and I'll bet,a good college basketball announcer,but not the right guy to be in our heads bringing us Phillies games.I think they need to bring in guest announcers until the right person materializes. Think about it, why did the mets let him go??

Can someone please define the words pause and silence to Sarge and McCarty? Then, explain the meaning of watch and learn. The fans really can handle a moment that these two voices are not in a constant state of babble. Phillies, I implore you to respect your knowledgeable fans and restore peace to this town.

Here we are July 5th 2009 and Blanton is pitching maybe a career game, against the Mets & Santana, and McCarthy is screwing around with popcorn.That was the most juvenile, not professional, display I've ever seen. Don't we, as Phillies fans, deserve a professional in the TV booth????? What is wrong with Larry Anderson?

Amen to this blog. McCarthy is absolutely HORRIBLE and is soooooo ANNOYING. Once the second/third innings come around, all he does is chit chat with wheels and sarge for the rest of the game and NEVER shuts up. Unlike Harry, who let the game speak for itself, mccarthy will continuously ramble on about irrelevant matters, such as "look at that fan enjoying his ice cream" or "sarge whats your favorite food" etc. Then he'll go on to discuss that for a good 10 minutes. McCarthy might be a nice guy, but the bottom line is that hes is terribly annoying and needs to go. Scott franzke should definitely take over.

My husband and I constantly go to mlb.com and complain about McCarthy and all we hear back is that we have to adjust to losing Harry Kalas. I find their lack of concern for fan opinions as annoying as McCarthy's lack of interest in announcing the games or showing any Phillies pride in his voice.

It may be just me, but it seems lately as if McCarthy is trying better to be more on the Phillies side. Just a little that is, he always reverts back to his old self though usually.

He sounds very game show hosty too at times, I wish he would just be himself. We can always listen to Franzke and Anderson though! I hope they change things up, this blog post is the one that got the most replies so far!

Tom McCarthy is insufferable. He NEVER stops talking through every game and he always sounds like a salesman. I know that Harry and Whitey are irreplaceable but at least Larry Andersen announces with heart and love of the game (and team!). Please remove McCarthy from the booth.

hey rich - i agree with you on mccarthy. remember those painful 'reports' about nothing he used to make when harry was still with us? awful. i've written about mccarthy and other broadcasting losers in my own blog. please check it out: phillymediasports.wordpress.combest -john

McCarthy is not our announcer of the future. When I hear of a big Ryan homer, I want to hear franzke's call. Not t-mac because there is a 90% chance he is asking wheel why he would do in this situation. It's just too much noise. Harry made it great by ignoring the fans the camera pans to and turning every game into a Q&A with wheels and sarge

I can't stand his math. Several times this year he's stated a team "cut the lead in half" when their team's score is half the other team's. Just the other night the Phils were down 8-2, a 6 run lead. After the Phils got 2 more runs, he says they cut the lead in half.

I hate Tom McCarthy with an unbridled passion. To be honest, he creeps me out with his awkward, out of phase, forced laughter. Sounds like a pedophile or something. My dislike for him knows no bounds. I really, really, really can't take it when he references pre-game conversations with players and coaches (often in an elevator or hallway) and positions himself as some sort of insider. This guy is a JOKE.

Tom McCarthy is horrible! Now he's belittling Wheels, not just Sarge. As he said the other night to Sarge "one outfielder to another..." yeah, right! My favorite idiocy of his was when they showed a pic of his son "who had just received his middle school degree". Give me a break! Thanks goodness today is the last home broadcast and I won't have to listen to him again (hopefully). Phils, send him packing!

Not everyone loved the supposedly great Harry the K. He was an old fashioned kind of announcer who was too partisan. The Phillies are good these days, though not as good as last year or the year before. They don't need an announcer that tries to make us think every routine play is a miracle. And if they aren't good in a game, it's okay to say so. Wheels and Tom and Sarge represent a breath of fresh air to Phillies broadcasting. And the banter with Tom and Sarge is just for fun. No one needs to defend Sarge: he can handle himself just fine.

McCarthy is absolutely the worst thing on tv. Who decided that he should do all 9 innings. One minute he's doing left field interviews and now he's the boss. Get "em outta here". Dead air is more entertaining than these gorps.A concerned fan

I'm sure Tom McCarthy is a nice guy, and he must have fans who like him, but I am not one of those people. He brings no depth of his own knowledge, and often times sounds far too cheery to be the voice of the team. Philly is a serious baseball town, and need a play-by-play man with an "edge", or a swagger of some sort. Franske, over on radio, on the other hand, seems much better suited to the long-suffering psyche of the Phillies fan, recent success notwithstanding.

nothing but stats from Mac. His name should be "Excuse me Tom" for the number of mistakes he makes. All he ever does is give ERA, for every pitcher in the world. His use of the word overall maybe the most annoying thing I've heard in awhile. His marking of special events, that was the 3rd anniversary of his first HR in the majors. WC. (who cares)

TOM MCCARTHY AND CHRIS WHEELER HAVE RUIN BASEBALL FOR ME , I TRIED WATCHING THE GAME WITH THE RADIO ON BUT THEY ARE TOO MUCH OUT OF SYNC. SO FOR NOW I WATCH WITH THE VOLUME ALL THE WAY DOWN SO JUST IN CASE THEY ACTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING WORTH HEARING I HAVE TO STRAIN TO LISTEN . OTERWISE I JUST IGNORE THEM

McCarthy needs to go. He may have a good voice, but I can't stand listening to him for 9 innings. If he says "Red Hot" one more time I'm going to show him what red hot is. Come on guys, find someone who knows how to do a game. And this isn't case of missing harry, although I do, it simply too much McCarthy...

Get Wheeler and McCarthy Off My TV! That's a homemade bumper sticker on my car. I am so exhausted of screaming at my TV because of these 2 guys. It's not personal. I don't know them. I don't want to know them. I do know and love baseball, however, and they, with their constant blathering, idiotic over-analysis,inane commentary and self-indulgent humor are sickening. When will Mr. McCarthy learn the difference between a "foul ball" and a "foul tip.?" "Hey Wheels and Tom, Shut up and let me watch my game! Better yet, Please Go Away!!!"

I can't STAND Tom McCarthy. Why he is still broadcasting for the Phillies is totally, TOTALLY mind boggling.

The timbre of his voice, when it is high - and it is high most of the time - is painful. It sounds...like a shrill clarinet. When his voice is in his lower register, he sounds SO much better. But he doesn't use that low register much. He likes to shrill at us.

And his laugh. My gosh. Hyena is the only thing that comes to mind - and it isn't an amusing laugh. It's a chalk-on-blackboard type laugh.

And his huge head, his man boobs.....his lack of lips....He's not made for TV, in a word.

Why can't the Phillies use Franzke and LA on TV? Would be so nice not to have to mute the TV....

Phillies broadcasters should be people you like spending hundreds of hours with, all season. WHO could like spending time with McCarthy?? Not me. I mute him.

He is just awful. He knows nothing about the game, he seems more intrested in selling t-shirts, cheese steaks and buds. Feels like he reads everything is from a Queue Card. And...be botches everything.

1.) The night Bobby Thompson died, he called it "The shot heard round the wall"???? Please...2.) A few weeks back he tried to hawk a Phillies shirt a fan was wearing and tell us it would a great gift for the upcomming father's day. Ahhhh....fathers day was 2 weeks ago.3.) and my all time favorite...he tried to tell us the reason the Phillies had day/night double headers is so we the fans get more chances to see the Phillies. Hey Tommy Baby...it's called a double gate.

McCarthy's modulation is completely intolerable. I actually found this site and posting by Googling "where to send complaints about Tom McCarthy." I was hoping maybe the gang on this site would know to whom we can email our complaints. His phony sing-song style is like listening to 3 hours of one long unrelenting commercial. It's bad enough we've had to put up with the all-knowing "Wheels", but the two of them together is as bad as it gets. It's incredible - we have this top-notch team and a bottom dwelling broadcast booth. It makes me very proud that we never took Harry for granted.

McCarthy needs to go. I can not stand to listen to him. He is constantly saying something and then correcting himself. He needs to THINK before he SPEAKS.So many times he is wrong in what he is saying. He must Go. Hope and pray he leaves the Phillies soon.

McCarthy is ruining the greatest era in Phillies history. Why is he still trying to sell me the game? He would be perfect doing used car commercials. He gets WAY too excited when it's not necessary and he NEVER shuts up. He's a PR man calling baseball games. The only good thing is it makes listening to LA and Franske that much better. I'll take ANYONE at this point over McCarthy.

It's business as usaul in the Phillies T.V. Broadcasting Booth,how long do the fans have to endure the Wheeler & McCarthy show,can we ever get a chance to see the game being played or must we hear the same old drivel from the last 3 years coming from 2 guys who have nothing new to talk about?

The Phillies front office owes the fans who have stuck by this team through the bad times,how about letting us enjoy the good times ?

Totally agree. It's unwatchable. I have to listen to the radio broadcast. These guys feel they need to fill the air with their droning rather than simply letting the pictures speak for themselves and hitting the accent points. Every other broadcast is 110% more professional and digestible. This has become a laugh that's no longer funny.

Please Tom and Chris, take some time off and listen to Vin ScullY do a one man show for the Dodgers. He is amazing. Tells what is happening and gives stats and history, but not what everybody else probably is thinking. Just check it out and learn.

I Think they both suck. Wheeler& Maccarthy anazyle every pitch. It is so disgusting to hear wheeler talking constantlyabout curveballs fastballs cutters chaqngeups etc. And if someone hits a homerun wheels always says oh it looked like a changeup but after the replay always says no it was actuallya cutter . Who cares let us enjoy the game and stop analyzing every pitch.

McCarthy has been absent the last couple of Phillies games. I wonder if the team sent him to a neurologist to get his head checked after pronouncing Ryan Howard's "30th" home run TWICE during a broadcast earlier in the week. McCarthy is incompetent, constantly making mistakes and mistatements during every game and having to correct himself.

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